Monday, August 23, 2010

The Customer's Train

The customer told the product manager he needed a new train to go from New York to San Francisco.
The product manager commissioned his engineers to build it.
It would cost one million dollars.
So the money was spent.

The product manager found the train inadequate. "It needs to carry passengers," he said.
It would cost another three million dollars.
So the money was spent.

The product manager found the train inadequate. "We need to feed passengers on this journey," he said.
It would cost another six million dollars.
So the money was spent.

The product manager found the train inadequate. "Surely the passengers will need to carry luggage too," he said.
It would cost another three million dollars.
So the money was spent.

The product manager found the train inadequate. "The train should be efficient -- build me a train that uses less fuel," he said.
It would cost another eight million dollars.
So the money was spent.

The customer called. He said a competitor had finished building the train he wanted.
It would cost less than ten thousand dollars.
So the product was bought.

The competitor was Brio.
The buyer worked for Amtrak.
The user was his 8-year-old son.
New York and San Francisco were models the buyer had built for his son.

Always remember the difference between the buyer and the user.
Build according to the user's needs.